1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates broadly to exercise mats and other types of mats that lie on the floor or other surface and support the user's body during use. More particularly, this invention relates to heating mechanisms for such mats.
2. State of the Art
Exercise mats provide a comfortable support surface between the user's body and the floor during use. Typically, such mats are constructed from dense foam that provides a necessary amount of cushion and stability. However, such mats typically do not provide an active heating mechanism and thus are uncomfortably cold when placed on a cold floor.
It has been proposed to provide an exercise mat with an active heating element supported below a foam mat support layer (see http://people.bu.edu/atq2005/index.html). Disadvantageously, such an arrangement would allow a large amount of heat to be dissipated to the floor and thus waste energy. The proposed arrangement also fails to provide adequate protection against overheating and thus can be dangerous to use.
Thus, there remains a need in the art to provide an improved exercise mat that employs an active heating mechanism that minimizes the heat dissipated to the floor and thus conserves energy and also provides adequate protection against overheating.